Wire drawing machine



Oct. 22, 1940. M MQRGAN ET AL 2,219,094

WIRE DRAWING MACHINE Original Filed March 5, 1937 24 34 36 lo 26 4a l6 i e F 20 .Ljf Z.

INVENTORS MYLES MORGAN E D MORGAN Wg W ATTOZPNgY Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE-DRAWING mom Original application March 5, 1937, Serial No.

7 Claims.

-This invention relates to wire-drawing machines, and more particularly to machines of the type having a series of dies through which the wire is drawn by means of rotating drums or blocks to effect successive reductions of the wire.

This application is a division of our prior application Serial No. 129,232, filed March 5, 1937, now Patent No. 2,185,416, issued'January 2, 1940.

In the drawing of wire at high speeds, large quantities of heat are generated. The drums and wire tend to become very hot, and there is danger of the wire reaching such a high temperature as to affect its metallurgical properties in a harmful manner. This has been recognized,

and various attempts have been made to cool the wire by means of air jets directed against the convolutions of wire on the drum. However, the constructions heretofore proposed have been complicated, expensive and comparatively ineffective for the purpose intended.

vide an improved means for supporting and driving a wire-drawing drum, whereby the drum itself may be of relatively light and inexpensive construction, and its replacement may be facilitated. With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilledin the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the drawing illustrating one embodiment of the invention and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wire-drawing machine; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I

The embodiment illustrated comprises a series of two preliminary drawing drums or blocks l0 and II, anda finishing drum I2, all three of the 50 drums being rotatableabout vertical axes located in a common. vertical plane. A suitable die It is mounted in advance of .each drum, the drums serving to draw the wire W through the dies and thus efiect successive reductions of the wire.

55 Each die I4 is mounted on a cover plate I 5 se-' Divided and this application 1939, Serial No. 282,236

June 30,

cured to the top of a frame It, this frame being arranged to form an elongated hollow box-like structure.

The drum I0 is mounted on the upper end of a vertical spindle l8 and directly above a circular opening l9 in the cover plate IS. The spindle extends downwardly through the opening l9 into the frame I6 and is rotatably supported just below the drum by an anti-friction bearing 20 carried by a bracket 22 mounted in the frame. The drum I0 is constructed with 'a substantially cylindrical 'portion 24 having spaced upper and lower flanges 25 and 26 projecting outwardly therefrom and inclined slightly with respect thereto. This construction makes possible an advantageous arrangement of the dies with respect to the drums,- whereby the wire may be properly aligned with the dies without theme of idler sheaves. As shown in Fig. 1, the wire leaves the first die I4 and engages the surface of the lower flange 26 of the first drum III, thence passing around the cylindrical portion 24 of the drum in the form of a right hand helix with a suflicient number of wrapsto ensure full capstan effect without slippage, and leaving the drum 25 tangentially at a point close to the upper flange 25. The second die I4 is located at a higher ele-, vation than the first die and in direct line with the wire leaving the drum ill, the wire passing directly-through this die and into engagement with the upper flange 25 of the second drum II. The wire then passes around the cylindrical portion of the drum II in the form of-a left hand helix and leaves the drum tangentially at a point close to the lower flange 26 thereof. This arrangement may be continued throughout the entire machine, regardless of the number of drums, the wire passing around the drums alternately in the form of right and left hand helices. The dies are located alternately in line with the lower flanges and the upper flanges, so that the wire is wound around the drums first upwardly and then downwardly. The arrangement is such that the wire is wound upwardly on the flnishin'g drum l2, andthis drum is made without an upper flange, having instead the usual stripper 28 which serves to support the coil of finished wire. With this construction it is possible to make all the drums alike (except the finishing drum), and mount all of the drums at the same'elevation Means is preferably providedto cool the drums and the wire which is wound thereon, in order to prevent overheating of the wire *asa result of the heat generated in the drawing operation. For this purpose a fan 30 is provided to discharge air into the hollow frame l6. This fan is shown located at the finishing end of the machine. It will'be apparent from Fig. 2 that the air flows from the upper portion of the frame l6 upwardl through the openings l9 in the cover plate I and thus into the interior of the drums. In order to prevent excessive leakage of the air between the drums and the cover plate, each drum is formed with a depending skirt 32 which fits closely within an annular flange 33 extending upwardly from the cover plate. The air is discharged from the interior of the drums through series of openings 34 and 35 provided in the outwardly extending flanges 25 and 26 respectively. The air is directed to the upper openings 34 by means of a circular cap 31 which engages the upper flange 25 outwardly of the openings, this cap being held in place against the upper end of the spindle l8 by means of a screw 38. As shown in Fig. 2, the openings 34 and 35 are staggered in a direction circumferentially of the drum, so that the air jets do not impinge directlv upon one another.

In order to facilitate the removal and replacement ofthe drums, each drum is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 39 which is formed. with a series of holes to receive dowel pins 40 carried on the rim of a spider 4|. This spider is keyed to the upper portion of the spindle l8, and provided with apertures 43 through which the air may flow upwardly to reach the openings 34. It will be apparent that after removal of the single screw 38 the cap 31 and the drum therebeneath can be readily removed from the spider 4|.

In the operation of the machine the drums and the wire coiled thereon are effectively cooled by the air which flows upwardly through the drums and issues in jets through the openings 34 and 35. The cooling action is considerably enhanced by the use of the opposed series of jets in the staggered arrangement disclosed. After a long period of use the drums will become worn, and since most of the wear will occur near the flange 25 or 26 which is first engaged by the wire, it is possible to interchange two adjacent drums and thereby double their useful life. The drums are of comparatively light and inexpensive construction, since they have no central hub and are supported entirely by the spiders 4|. By utilizing the hollow box-like frame I6 as a means for distributing the air to the several drums, we avoid the necessity for unsightly and bulky external air ducts.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A wire-drawing machine comprising a hollow rotatable drum having a substantially cylindrical portion, a pair of spaced flanges extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion, and

' means to supply air under pressure to the interior of the drum, both of said flanges having apertures therein arranged to direct jets of air over the surface of the cylindrical portion from opposite directions.

2. A wire-drawing machine comprising a hollow rotatable drum having a substantiallycylindrical portion, a pair of spaced flanges extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion, and means to supply air under pressure to the interior of the drum, both of said flanges having apertures therein arranged to direct jets of air over the surface of the cylindrical portion from opposite directions, the apertures in the respective flanges being staggered in a direction circumferential of the drum.

'3. A wire-drawing machine comprising a rotatable spindle, a spider mounted on the spindle, a drum supported on the spider and having a substantially cylindrical portion, a flange extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion and provided with a series of apertures, means to supply air under pressure to the interior of the drum, and a cap engaging the flange outwardly of the apertures, the cap serving to hold the drum in place on the spider and to direct the air into the apertures.

4. A wire-drawing machine comprising a hollow frame shaped to provide an elongated air chamber having a series of openings therein, means to supply air under pressure to the air chamber and a series of hollow rotatable drums mounted adjacent said openings and arranged to receive air therefrom, said drums having apertures therein 'for the discharge of the air from the interior of the drums into cooling relation with wire wound about the drums.

5. A wire-drawing machine comprising a rotatable spindle, a spider fixed to the spindle, an annular drum surrounding the spindle and having an inwardly extending annular flange which engages the spider, means connecting the spider to the flange to prevent relative rotation of these parts, and a cap engaging the drum to hold the drum in place on the spider.

6. A wire-drawing machine comprising a rotatable spindle, a spider fixed to the spindle, an annular drum surrounding the spindle and having an inwardly extending annular flange which engages -the spider, dowel pins connecting the spider to the flange to prevent relative rotation of these parts, and a cap releasably fastened to the end of the spindle to hold the drum in place on the spider.

7. A wire-drawing machine comprising a hollow rotatable drum having a substantially cylindrical portion, a flange extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion and provided with a series of apertures, means to supply air under pressure to the interior of the drum, and a cap rotatable with the drum and engaging the flange outwardly of the apertures, the cap serving to direct the air into the apertures.

. MORGAN.

WELD MORGAN. 

